Link bracelet



Patented Sept. 6, 1927.

CHARLES -Bafrcimnnna or initiiert` Ammiano-Ro, massacri-nannies.

l 'n1-NKl BaAcEtTi ing bai' and the connectiiigbar isv secured- Ythe side bar `bending opera-tion inits holding position by the links v which fit engages.A I In the drawings: Figures l and 2 areV respectively .plan views of the front `and thebackor' inside Aet a art of a bracelet or chain;

ig-iire .3 is a side v-iei7 lofconnec-ted links at .one stageof assembly; j Figure 4 is a similarview after] assembly is completegv Figure 5' isa rear or 'insi'deplan View of' one-flink with side bars. and a connector in Figure is aplan of a connector; Figure 7 is aside view' otaside bar.; Figure 8a is a side viewot1 a pair of links connected, on anv enlarged'scale and before Figure 8b isa similar view, after the sidev bar bending operatiomthe effects ofwhicli are exaggerated for cl'ear'ness.

In the quantity manufacture of jewelry it is essential 'that economical and, durable de. vices Y and ,processes V .of, manuit'acture 'be 'en'rployed and `this isespecially true of such articles as bracelets, necklaces and the like, having moving and jointed parts, for with complicated jointing devices the labor in as sembly may iiullify the savings of machine made parts.`

My invention is designed to produce a connector for links and a link which after the connector has beenplaced between a pair of links to connect them, may be, by a simple pressing operation on each link, caused to lock the connector inescapably between and connectingthe links and,by the same operation draw the opposed ends ot the several links apart to give a desired capacity of lieXure. f

In the drawings l is the ornamental tace or front of a link, the ornamentation shown` in the drawings being a pierced design 2 visible on both the iront and the backl of the ornamental face plate (see Figs. l and 2) 3 is a connector element, consisting of a rectangular flat piece having at both ,ends` extensions 3l forming a fork; 4 is a side bar, the ends 4l oi which are turned at right angles to the main part ot the bar. The thickness of the connector 3 and its eXtensions 31 is only a trifle less than the distance 192e. seriai no. 126,225.

" between theback oi"v they tace platel and the [innersideoside bars 4. l

"The parts of `the"braceletY "or chain' "are thr'eelonly., the face, plate-@Litiie side Abars 45 and thieconiiector 3.-" 'In .the assembly, ajpair ot side vbars '4 are soldered or otherwise vse'- cured'bythefupturned endsfj4l, longitudinally, .along'opposite*sides ofithe :tace plate l, connector Bis thenheld edgewis'e between and parallel with lthe side bars and is then turnedto a position kat right angles'to the side bars,'the vsidefbars be-ing receivedin 'the recess between the projections 3i. The

connector istli'en moved to oneend of the sidefbars vonto-the ends 41.7T1he""link and connector v arethen connected to Va -second linkin the 'saine maiineuthe connector being i placed between the side'bars ofV the lsecond link and the `first vlink and connector?) turned' until the side bars et' the second link enter betiveenfen-ds` Stof the connector, the recess between which ends'fl is 'wide enoug-hfto receive apair et the ends 4iy of the side bars 4. The links being longitudinally the connector enga'ging the sidebars of' the second link will slip along to that endet tl'iel second llink opposed 1tothe'lend ict 1 the itirst. linkland down upon thejeiids4`l of fthe side' bars 4 Ilof-theseconil'fli1i"1'k, thus coupling .the two liiiks together. v' 'The processie repeated? until a chain of the desired length is formed. A connection vsuch as has been described is illustrated in Figure 4, which shows the ends 4l of adjacent links bothperpendicular Yto the under side of Jface plate 1 and in substantial contact. It is obvious therefore that the flexibility of the chain will be slight, such flexibility as it may have being due solely to l play betweenV the endsBl of the connectors and the ends 41 of the side bars, and this play of loose-connection is obviouslyunde` Asirable and to be reduced tosuch a minimum as is practicable in manufacture. It is necessary to therefore provide a capacity of flexure inwardly sufficient to form a circle of the designed diameter of the bracelet or the like. *This is accomplished in my bracelet, v

as will be hereinafter described. t

It the chain or bracelet were subjectonly to longitudinal strains and longitudinal flexures, theforked connector and side bars, as shown in Figure 4 would form a secure connection. bracelets in use are subject to strains in all directions. Bracelets are removedand thrown upon a table without care.v The links may be forced toward one another andV the But chains and especially chain chain may be flexed inwardly until the side bars 4 on adjacent links are opposed or in contact and in such a case the connector can slip along thev side bars and va ver slight transverse strain will then reverse t e process of assembly and a pair of links become disengaged.

To avoid this and make a secure connection; after a pair of links has been assembled and connected,` the side ybars 4 are bent toward the face plate 1 (see Fig. 3) from their original configuration when the links are rstassembled, as shown in Figure 4. The connector ends 31 are thus confined and cannot move along the side bars 4 as the space between theV inner side' of side bars 4 and the inner surface of face plate 1 is 1n- 7 suiicient to permitthe passage of the ends form a minute V between the opposed ends 41 onadjacent links. I have shown in Figures 8 and 8b a pair of links before the pinching of the side bars, the effect. in Figure 8b being somewhat exaggerated for the sake of clearness. l

The result therefore is a chain or bracelet of extreme simplicity, having only three parts, the links ofwhich -areconnected so as to Ibe flexible. in only one direction namely,`

inwardly, to give capacity for forming a circle'with the side bars in the inside of the circle; the assembly of links in pairs and their connection by a connector is anoperation so simple that it may be performed .by unskilled labor and the final securing of the parts together by bending the side bars in Wardly not only confines the connector and revents it from becoming 'disengaged but y the same simple operation draws in the unsecured ends of the side bars on each link from the opposed ends of the side bars on the companion link thus permitting iiexure inwardly until the opposed ends of the side bars on adjacent links are in contact. f I claim: I

The chain or bracelet above' described, made up of a multiplicity of links each comprising a face plate and parallel side bars' upon the4 inside of the face plate respectively ksecured at and parallel to the longitudinal sides of the face plate and spaced apart from the face plate by perpendicular ends upon the side bars to kforrn a longitudinal slot; a multiplicity of connectors each having two projections at each of its ends which respectively enter the longitudinal slots of adjacent links to secure the links together, the side bars being bent towardthev face plate at their middle to narrow the slots to confine the connector projections and to draw the perpendicular ends of the side bars away from the opposed ends of the'side bars of the companion links, to form a vflexing space between companion links.

Signed at North Attleboro, Massachusetts this twenty-third day of July, 1926.

CHARLES H, BATCHELDER.. A 

